Happy Easter! Hope you're having a wonderful day with your loved ones eating a tonne of chocolate and chilling out. A and I are currently having a bit of a movie marathon and on Friday we headed out to enjoy the Kent countryside (post on Tuesday!)
To celebrate my love of mini eggs I created the above illustration, it's sad to think another year of eating them is over... but I can't wait for the warmer weather.
A's Highlight of the week: Wandering around the Kent countryside in the sun on Friday.
L's Highlight of the week: Same as A!
Enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday!
L x
To celebrate my love of mini eggs I created the above illustration, it's sad to think another year of eating them is over... but I can't wait for the warmer weather.
A's Highlight of the week: Wandering around the Kent countryside in the sun on Friday.
L's Highlight of the week: Same as A!
Enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday!
L x
I'm loving my #Friyay challenge, creating a new spin on my love of the word is proving to be super fun. This week I've gone for primary style bright stripes.
Have a great Easter! L x
Happy second day of Spring! To celebrate the start of longer days than nights, warm days and balmy nights and buds that are about to burst into bloom A pulled out her watercolours to create a Cherry Blossom Illustration.
We interrupt our usual scheduling for a DIY update...
Having spent years dreaming of a Carrie Bradshaw wardrobe (sigh) the progress on our current project is super exciting. The transformation from dingy old airing cupboard to walk in closet is almost complete, so I thought I'd give you an update.
Here's the space at the start, a big cupboard with really high ceilings that contained a massive water tank, some shelves and a lot of pipe work. As we were installing a combo boiler the water tank and pipes went and were replaced by a small boiler. Once this was done I took down the shelves carefully so we could re-use the lengths of wood as shelf supports. The ceiling was plastered to get rid of the Artex and finally the entire space was painted white.
When the space was empty and we'd settled on a design (see Tuesday's post) we headed to B&Q with A's very detailed shopping list in hand. After arriving home construction began, we started by putting up the shoe shelve supports, then onto the rail followed by the full length shelves above. At this point we actually adjusted the design slightly, only doing two shelves above instead of the planned three. We also put in brackets to support the shelves as they were 150cms long and wanted to avoid them bowing.
Moving on we created the shorter base shelves, putting up the wall supports, centre Mdf piece held in place by brackets and then finally adding the shelves and banged them down.
Then we moved onto the smaller shelves on the left which are for shoes. As the space is small they ended close to the other shelves so we cut the edges and sanded them to give it a slightly rounded edge. This took no time at all but it really makes a difference not having pointy edge hit you in the arm when you're reaching for a pair of jeans!
Finally once all the shelves were up it was time to paint. We went with white paint for the walls and shelves as it makes the small dark cupboard feel bright and bigger. No pictures here unfortunately as I was so keen to get my wardrobe in I completely forgot. So here's where the wardrobe is at now, all painted and filled with clothes...
plus beauty products and shoes!
I'm so happy with the design A planned and the small alterations we made along the way. We've maximised the space but not overcrowded it. Now all that's left is to source storage for the shelves and paint the floor... I'll keep you posted.
A's highlight of the week: L's homemade bread, dog walks and starting another DIY wardrobe.
L's highlight of the week: Using my new wardrobe!
Have a great week and Happy Spring x
Having spent years dreaming of a Carrie Bradshaw wardrobe (sigh) the progress on our current project is super exciting. The transformation from dingy old airing cupboard to walk in closet is almost complete, so I thought I'd give you an update.
Here's the space at the start, a big cupboard with really high ceilings that contained a massive water tank, some shelves and a lot of pipe work. As we were installing a combo boiler the water tank and pipes went and were replaced by a small boiler. Once this was done I took down the shelves carefully so we could re-use the lengths of wood as shelf supports. The ceiling was plastered to get rid of the Artex and finally the entire space was painted white.
When the space was empty and we'd settled on a design (see Tuesday's post) we headed to B&Q with A's very detailed shopping list in hand. After arriving home construction began, we started by putting up the shoe shelve supports, then onto the rail followed by the full length shelves above. At this point we actually adjusted the design slightly, only doing two shelves above instead of the planned three. We also put in brackets to support the shelves as they were 150cms long and wanted to avoid them bowing.
Moving on we created the shorter base shelves, putting up the wall supports, centre Mdf piece held in place by brackets and then finally adding the shelves and banged them down.
Then we moved onto the smaller shelves on the left which are for shoes. As the space is small they ended close to the other shelves so we cut the edges and sanded them to give it a slightly rounded edge. This took no time at all but it really makes a difference not having pointy edge hit you in the arm when you're reaching for a pair of jeans!
Finally once all the shelves were up it was time to paint. We went with white paint for the walls and shelves as it makes the small dark cupboard feel bright and bigger. No pictures here unfortunately as I was so keen to get my wardrobe in I completely forgot. So here's where the wardrobe is at now, all painted and filled with clothes...
plus beauty products and shoes!
I'm so happy with the design A planned and the small alterations we made along the way. We've maximised the space but not overcrowded it. Now all that's left is to source storage for the shelves and paint the floor... I'll keep you posted.
A's highlight of the week: L's homemade bread, dog walks and starting another DIY wardrobe.
L's highlight of the week: Using my new wardrobe!
Have a great week and Happy Spring x
Happy Friday... or Friyay! A neon sign felt appropriate for the start of the weekend.
L x
With a lot of ideas collected it was time to get down to the nitty gritty - out with the tape measure,
paper and pen.
Once the basic concept was decided upon we drew it out and then started measuring. The final idea was for 6 shelves for shoes, three large long shelves that would go across the back wall at the top with the rail just below, then on the left hand side three shelves just over half the width and on the right hand side one shelf.
Phew! It looks a bit of a muddle but I know what I'm doing .... honestly.
Concerned about the weight that might be put on the biggest shelves, which would measure 149cms long by 53cms wide, I decided brackets would be a good idea to give extra support. L says she is going to have a minimalist wardrobe and there will be space, blah blah, but I have seen all the stuff that is going in there ... she still has to read Marie Kondo's book!
I drew up a shopping list with each of the pieces of wood required, screws, nails, brackets, paint, etc.
B&Q sell large sheets of MDF and I set about calculating how it would be best to cut the MDF in the most economical way, working out the left over parts would make two drawers for under my bed.
Top tip, write on each of the pieces as they get cut which bit they are in the construction - coming home with over 20 pieces of MDF saved a lot of time and I am so glad we did this.
Right, out with the drill...
A x
paper and pen.
Once the basic concept was decided upon we drew it out and then started measuring. The final idea was for 6 shelves for shoes, three large long shelves that would go across the back wall at the top with the rail just below, then on the left hand side three shelves just over half the width and on the right hand side one shelf.
Phew! It looks a bit of a muddle but I know what I'm doing .... honestly.
Concerned about the weight that might be put on the biggest shelves, which would measure 149cms long by 53cms wide, I decided brackets would be a good idea to give extra support. L says she is going to have a minimalist wardrobe and there will be space, blah blah, but I have seen all the stuff that is going in there ... she still has to read Marie Kondo's book!
I drew up a shopping list with each of the pieces of wood required, screws, nails, brackets, paint, etc.
B&Q sell large sheets of MDF and I set about calculating how it would be best to cut the MDF in the most economical way, working out the left over parts would make two drawers for under my bed.
Top tip, write on each of the pieces as they get cut which bit they are in the construction - coming home with over 20 pieces of MDF saved a lot of time and I am so glad we did this.
Right, out with the drill...
A x
Scrolling through Pinterest it's impossible not to notice trends and yesterday I couldn't help but notice the abundance of white wedding flowers. To me this seems like such a shame, they blend in with wedding dresses rather than adding a splash of colour. After searching around I found that tropical wedding bouquets are filled with bright vivid flowers, adding a sense of joy and fun to the brides procession.So here's my illustration of a tropical wedding bouquet in beautiful yellows and pinks.
How are we on the tenth Sunday Summary already?! This weekend we've been busy painting my wardrobe, which will be unveiled soon, tidying up the garden ready for planting and heading out for walks across the fields. The latter being Monty's favourite, as you can see below.
While scrolling through my YouTube subscriptions earlier in the week I came across a Waitrose video on Hot Cross Apple Scones and after practically drooling on my screen decided to head to the kitchen and bake them. Now I will admit that they weren't perfect and I'm not sold on the cross on the top, it's just flour and water and gets in the way of the filling, but I reckon after a couple more batches I'll have them down. Plus I am perfectly willing to prefect them as they taste delicious with the spices, sultanas and apples. Perfect with a cup of tea and a spread of butter.
Whilst out this week it's been impossible not to notice all the Spring flowers both in bud and bloom, can you tell I'm slightly obsessed with taking pictures of nature and flowers?
Yesterday we walked Monty through a wood of rhododendrons and trees couldn't help but get a little excited for when they sprinkle the green with bursts of pink.
Also a prickly bush I've never noticed before provided flashes of yellow amongst the green of the trees,
and blue of the sky.
A's Highlight of the week: My Muddy Sprocker Illustration that L turned into a GIF.
L's Highlight of the week: Painting my wardrobe and starting to put in all my clothes.
Have a lovely week!
L x
While scrolling through my YouTube subscriptions earlier in the week I came across a Waitrose video on Hot Cross Apple Scones and after practically drooling on my screen decided to head to the kitchen and bake them. Now I will admit that they weren't perfect and I'm not sold on the cross on the top, it's just flour and water and gets in the way of the filling, but I reckon after a couple more batches I'll have them down. Plus I am perfectly willing to prefect them as they taste delicious with the spices, sultanas and apples. Perfect with a cup of tea and a spread of butter.
Whilst out this week it's been impossible not to notice all the Spring flowers both in bud and bloom, can you tell I'm slightly obsessed with taking pictures of nature and flowers?
Yesterday we walked Monty through a wood of rhododendrons and trees couldn't help but get a little excited for when they sprinkle the green with bursts of pink.
Also a prickly bush I've never noticed before provided flashes of yellow amongst the green of the trees,
and blue of the sky.
A's Highlight of the week: My Muddy Sprocker Illustration that L turned into a GIF.
L's Highlight of the week: Painting my wardrobe and starting to put in all my clothes.
Have a lovely week!
L x
Weirdly one of my favourite words of the 21st Century is Friyay, thank you Instagram. I guess it's a combination of two of my favourite things, Friday and the word "yay", plus who doesn't love a good pun? So in tribute to my love of this Instgram trend I'm going to be posting a different design of the word each... Friday.
Here are two I've already created that went up on our Instagram, follow us there to see what we're working on and some cheeky extras too.
L x
Transforming an old airing room into a wardrobe is exciting but can also feel a little daunting, so being a 21st Century woman what did I do? Turn to Pinterest of course (images linked below)! Compared to American walk in wardrobes I have a very small footprint, in fact mine is more of a walk in and reverse back out, so I wanted to make sure I got the most use out of my space without overcrowding it.
link | link
As you can see I'm thinking white to make it feel light and big with large shelves and a rail, plus some form of shelves for my shoes. A long back wall (150cms) means the rail and shelves will be large so I'm planning on using containers to separate out items which can add more visual interest. I really like the idea of the clothes being the element that adds colour and using neutrals for storage containers.
link | link
Right now I'm heading back to do some more work on my closet... I can't wait to start using it!
L x
link | link
As you can see I'm thinking white to make it feel light and big with large shelves and a rail, plus some form of shelves for my shoes. A long back wall (150cms) means the rail and shelves will be large so I'm planning on using containers to separate out items which can add more visual interest. I really like the idea of the clothes being the element that adds colour and using neutrals for storage containers.
link | link
Right now I'm heading back to do some more work on my closet... I can't wait to start using it!
L x
When he gets really hot, whilst out walking, Monty likes nothing better than to jump into some water. A small stream, a water butt, even a muddy puddle will do.
The problem with this is Monty has a tendency to shake, whilst still wet, when he arrives home. The shake starts at the top of his head, his ears swinging, and goes all the way down to his little tail. By the time he is finished everything around is covered in mud. I thought it would be fun to try and capture his ears swinging as the mud goes flying...
It was such fun playing with watercolours to create a wedding bouquet, I thought I would have a go at another one. What do you think?
I love flowers. All the colours are terrific and when they have a perfume that just makes them perfect. Spring has felt like it is on the way the last few days, with daffodils, crocuses (or croci) and grape hyacinth in bloom and the green shoots of bluebells getting taller by the day.
A x
So today is Mother's Day here in the UK and to celebrate we had breakfast in bed followed by a very chilled day at home. When you've got a dog breakfast in bed becomes a real treat but even still we were up and out walking at 9am. 
It's crazy to think how many Mother's Day's we have celebrated, twenty-four in case you were wondering, how many cards, bunches of daffodils and mornings scrambling out of bed before she wakes up there have been. The relationship between Mother and child truly is unique and special, Mum's really are there through thick and thin, for the tough times and the good, through sleepless nights when their children are little to dragging teens out of bed at noon. Anyway before I get too soppy wherever you are, be it Mother's Day or not, give your Mum a big hug and say thanks! 
Speaking of A she's currently busy working on some new Monty illustrations having gotten the idea when having dinner at a friends to celebrate a new kitchen. Plus she's working on some more flower watercolours, it's incredible what she can create using a bit of water and paint. Meanwhile I've been loving all the blossom that's appeared over the last few weeks and took my camera out to snap some shots. I love this time when there's just a sprinkling of colour amongst the brown before everything bursts to life.
A's Highlight of the week - Mother's Day; breakfast in bed, a sunny walk plus my bunch of daffodils and handmade Mother's Day card!
L's Highlight of the week - Create A's Mother's Day card from my Forget Me Not alphabet, I love creating something personalised for A.
Hope you've had a wonderful Mother's Day.
L x
While I was at uni I became a bit of a beauty and skincare junkie which basically translated to me buying and trying a lot of makeup/skincare. Now a couple of years on it's rarer that I splurge on beauty products but as I love to try new items it's rare I re-buy products.
One of the exceptions to this rule is the Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm which I love so much I own three... one for my handbag, one for my bedside table and a back up. Previously having tried the high street classics, Vaseline, Carmex and Nivea, none of which worked for me, I stumbled across the Nuxe Reve De Miel online. Seeing as I'd only been paying a few pounds I wasn't keen on the £9.50 price tag (I shudder at By Terry Baum de Rose's £39.00 price tag) but luckily it was a 1/3 off on Escentual (just seen that they're not including Nuxe in their French Pharmacy Deal this time but do often have 20% off code), so decided to give it a try. Needless to say after the title of this post but it's amazing, hydrating, not too slippy and smells good. Oh and most importantly it works, since using this I haven't gotten chapped lips once.
If you haven't tried it run (well scroll) and buy it, trust me for dry Winter lips it's the answer.
L x
One of the exceptions to this rule is the Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm which I love so much I own three... one for my handbag, one for my bedside table and a back up. Previously having tried the high street classics, Vaseline, Carmex and Nivea, none of which worked for me, I stumbled across the Nuxe Reve De Miel online. Seeing as I'd only been paying a few pounds I wasn't keen on the £9.50 price tag (I shudder at By Terry Baum de Rose's £39.00 price tag) but luckily it was a 1/3 off on Escentual (just seen that they're not including Nuxe in their French Pharmacy Deal this time but do often have 20% off code), so decided to give it a try. Needless to say after the title of this post but it's amazing, hydrating, not too slippy and smells good. Oh and most importantly it works, since using this I haven't gotten chapped lips once.
If you haven't tried it run (well scroll) and buy it, trust me for dry Winter lips it's the answer.
L x
Our previous house was a renovation project; stuck in the 70s it felt dated and old fashioned. In the sitting room swirls of Artex covered the ceiling, along with roses around old light fittings that were no longer there, wood chip paper on every wall, a stained carpet and a brick "construction" across one end of the room with gas fire centre piece.
Although the bricks looked blackened I don't think they were always that colour, it was just dirt. Sticky dirt. Behind the gas fire was a back boiler. This had once heated the water and house but was broken, leaving only hot water in the electric shower.
Heavy smoking by the previous owners meant that the entire house had a terrible smell. Tar had slowly built up on the walls, ceilings, carpets...everything. Burning scented candles became essential.
First step - strip the walls of woodchip. Most of it had dried to a crisp on the wall and after trial and error I found the easiest way to remove it was to push the scrapper up behind a section, raise the scrapper 90 degrees and snap the section off. It was so dried the edges were razor sharp and I cut my hands a number of times. However, working with a steamer on some of it created water droplets on the ceiling that would turn brown with cigarette tar and drip down. Completely disgusting; cut fingers were not so bad after all! I don't feel the photos show just how ghastly it was.
Monty did try to get involved!
Once the walls were stripped we started to knock out the bricks either side of the fire place. The internet kept on through it all - it had taken months to organise installation!
A gas expert removed the old fire and back boiler, opening up the chimney. Then we finished removing the remaining bricks; the ones on the hearth were especially difficult to remove, coming away in pieces.
The house was rewired with the electrics chased into the walls. I took down the ceiling roses. A plasterer removed the highest peaks of Artex with a large scrapper, put PVA glue over the whole ceiling and re-plastered, leaving a smooth finish. The holes for the electrics, chimney and fire place were also plastered. Fresh plaster has to dry out completely, turning a pale terracotta colour, before a first coat of paint and water, mixed in equal proportions, followed by coats of neat paint.
Once the ceiling was painted we turned to the walls, painting them Soft Almond and Lauren from B&Q.
We raised the hearth to match the height inside the fire place by constructing a wooden surround and filling with a self-levelling compound.
Level concrete covered the floor in the rest of the room and we decided to lay a click together laminate wooden floor, purchased on sale. Firstly a damp proof membrane was laid, then underlay on top.
Calculating where to start and how to cut the first wooden board was complicated. Everything didn't seem quite right as we started so I recalculated and remeasured and realised that each side of the doorway, across the first wall, did not line up. This meant the starting wall was not straight and required some extra adjustments!
The first boards had to be sawn along the length in order for them to fit all the way to the far wall. When we finally reached the other end of the room I was very relieved to find the calculations were correct and the last boards fitted perfectly. And of course Wimbledon was on the whole time!
All the furniture had to be moved to one end of the room, then moved onto the completed section, in order to finish the other end. Furniture moving played a large part of the renovation process! Having less stuff is definitely the way forward.
Working out how to join the flooring to the hearth was tricky. We had seen a surround in a National Trust property and took that idea to a local joinery shop who created the profile for the surround in wood, which we then cut and glued together. Travertine tiles completed the hearth.
Here is the finished room which we feel very proud of.
